It’s that time of year again; pumpkin has burst unabatedly onto the culinary scene to become, for one month only, more popular than even chocolate is. There are sweet pumpkin pies, bowls of pumpkin soup and loaves of pumpkin bread aplenty, but here you’ll find something a little alternative. I give you my recipe for a thoroughly savoury and utterly delicious Pumpkin and Chorizo Pie.

Bread, when made at home, can be one of the most frugal foods out there and what a lot of people don’t seem to realise is that includes pizza. So, when you’re spending £5-6 on a “top-notch” pizza from a supermarket you’re spending far more than necessary. Even pre-made pizza bases are extortionately priced – particularly since they tend to be insipid, uninspiring imitations of what is, in reality, a very basic product. The best approach to take is to make a large amount of dough in advance, portion it out and freeze it for later use.

Chorizo is one of those very rare ingredients that gets along with anything in its vicinity – food or otherwise (except perhaps pigs). Not only does chorizo accompany kale to pleasing effect, it is suited rather handsomely to cabbage. This naturally leads one to suspect that our spicy Spanish friend could be bosom buddies with the entire brassica clan – all should be revealed in time. Meanwhile, why not make the time to appreciate the deep hues and rich flavours which accompany these wonderful ingredients?

Here we are again, yet another delicious recipe inspired by my trip to Spain. As you can tell, I have an exceptional capacity for eating anything remotely Iberian. Happily, this dish, like Patatas Revolconas, reminds one immediately of Spanish cuisine; the culprit in both recipes being paprika. I’m sure that I’ll eventually emerge, with my skin coloured a perfect shade of red and my aura pervaded by a spicy scent, from my love affair with paprika, but today is not that day.

As predicted, the weather here has become remarkably warm and jolly unseasonable. One would, at this time of the year, expect one’s breath to be made visible by a late-spring chill. However, as this paragraph begins to takes shape, my eyes find themselves met with a sky of unbridled blue. We appear to have skipped spring entirely and charged head-first into summer – perhaps June will become the new winter. We shall yet join the Australians in having my namesake, jolly ol’ St. Nick, presented with a surf board and speedos, rather than coat and gloves.